How to train for a marathon with WIRTUAL

January 24, 2022

Running a marathon is a huge achievement, one that is on the bucket lists of many. Some people out there may be avid marathon runners, but for most of us, this is something to strive towards. But as you may well know, running a marathon is no easy feat. It requires many months of intense training. It is an activity that requires muscle strength, stamina, and even mental strength.

For anyone looking to reach the ultimate goal of running a marathon, WIRTUAL is here for you! This article provides a way for you to train for your marathon in a way that is new and unique. Read on to find out more.

What is a marathon?

London marathon
Image from Runnersworld

A marathon is a type of distance running. The distance of the run is 42.2 km, or 26.2 miles. It is one of the most popular forms of running around the world. Anyone can participate, young or old. As long as you’ve trained and you’re physically and mentally ready, you too can run a marathon.

This history of the marathon is inspired by Greek mythology, But it first began as a sport at the 1896 Olympics in Athens, Greece. Back then, it was a 40 km race. The distance has remained approximately the same but was increased to 42.195 km at the 1908 Olympics in London, England at the request of the British Royal family, who wanted the race to begin on the property of Windsor Castle. This distance was then made official in 1921 and remains what is considered the length of a marathon today. 

Today, the marathon has been modified continuously to suit the current era, where in this period, it has even become a virtual competition as a result of the Covid-19 epidemic. Since it has been impossible to organize competitions for people to gather together in large numbers for the past couple of years, competitions that are organized in a virtual format where it is safe and can be held more often. In fact, the main advantage of hosting a virtual marathon event is that there are also no longer geographical barriers— anyone from anywhere can join. 

How can you prepare for a marathon?

how to prepare for marathon
Image from REI

A marathon is an activity that requires a lot of readiness. While it's not a race and it doesn't have the primary goal of finishing first like other running races, marathons still require a lot of practice. In general, some people may take 3-5 months to prepare. In the next section, we'll take a look at how a beginner needs to prepare for a marathon. 

1. Physical Preparation

Running a marathon is a physically demanding sport. Running a marathon takes more than 2 hours, and for a beginner, it can take more than 4 hours. Putting this kind of strain on your body requires a healthy body to begin with in order to finish a marathon. Core muscles and lower body muscles must be strong and they can be trained by running regularly or through weight training. There's also the matter of running endurance that can be built with regular exercise to keep your heart healthy and keep you running longer. You try training with Tempo or HIIT running in order to build up your stamina. 

Once you have trained until your body is strong and you’re ready to go out and conquer running a marathon, remember that getting ready before race day is essential too. You will need to get enough rest and make sure your meals are balanced with carbohydrates, vitamins, protein, and healthy fats. Another uncompromisable rule is to make sure you are drinking water regularly both from the day before the competition as well as throughout the duration of the competition. This will keep your body from dehydration and help you to run for longer as well.

2. Mental Preparation

When the body is ready, the mind too must be ready. A marathon will take a long time to complete, and it is often that the mind is ready to quit before the body is. There will be fatigue and feelings of discouragement along the way, especially for those who are running a marathon for the first time. You will face a lot of obstacles, and most of these will be in your mind. The first marathon is especially difficult, but just remember, if you can get past the first time, the next one will be easier. 

In terms of mental training, this is easier than training physically if you can really bring your focus to it. Each person has a different method that works for them. Whether it is to set clear goals, or to visualize images and feelings you will get after crossing the finish line, you can even encourage yourself with research. Having your mind in the right place during a marathon can help increase your endurance for the run. It may be necessary to consider and figure out how you can encourage yourself to reach the goals you want to attain. 

How can I train for a marathon with WIRTUAL?

Now that you have a general idea of how you should prepare for a marathon, let us tell you how WIRTUAL could be of assistance in your journey.

Join Challenges 

WIRTUAL is an application where you can enter challenges in running (among other exercises). You can submit your exercise results from your current tracking application to compete with other players and earn crypto coins. Each challenge comes with its own requirements and metrics which includes challenges based on speed, distance, or consistency. Using an app that encourages you to run regularly and entering challenges with increasing distance requirements as you train will no doubt help you build up the strength and stamina you need to crush your marathon. With the Exercise to Earn scheme, you will be encouraged to continue to run and submit your results for WIRTUAL Coins as a reward. In addition, these challenges can be done over a number of days and submissions so you can complete your challenge over a course of a long time, accumulating your running distance along the way.

In order to be successful in marathon training, consistency is key. It doesn’t matter how hard you push yourself in training if you don’t train regularly. You need to be sure to have a set schedule and run every other day in order to achieve your goal. Because of this, motivation is a huge factor, and the ability to earn crypto coins, win prizes, and compete against others can be what gives you that drive.

Join the WIRTUAL Community

If entering a challenge is not motivating enough, being a part of a community that invites you to exercise and is also journeying towards the same goal may be what you need. Other than the application itself, you can also join the WIRTUAL community on Telegram, where in our community, there are always discussions about the application as well as current and future challenges. You can get tips from others with more experience or share your own tips on marathon running.

Conclusion 

Anyone competing in a marathon must be physically and mentally equipped in order to run a distance of 42.195 km. Some may take more than 4 hours, the pace really depends on the individual. This makes effective training a top priority in the success of marathon running. 

If you’re looking for the motivation to get up and train regularly, the WIRTUAL application could be exactly what you need. The platform provides features such as a challenge system that allows you to compete with other players and a community that gathers runners from around the world. As a bonus, if you run with the WIRTUAL app, you'll also get WIRTUAL Coins that you can keep for speculation, use to buy NFT items, or trade on exchanges. Level up the fun of training for a marathon with WIRTUAL.